


Lurking in the shadows, yet in bright light(A High School AU)

by A_geeky_gal



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Drama, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pearlrose, Romance, Spies & Secret Agents, Why Did I Write This?, amedot - Freeform, gregrose, lapidot - Freeform, pearlmethyst - Freeform, we don't know the ships as of now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-25 13:01:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22496512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_geeky_gal/pseuds/A_geeky_gal
Summary: Peridot Greene is a freshman who just wants a normal life to balance a disastrous past and a possibly destructive future. High school life is hard enough already, owing to the many social challenges she could face here. But who knew that the saying of the race to survive this place could be so literal?∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞(A Steven Universe High School Au:Romance, Mystery ,Thriller, Drama)
Relationships: Amethyst/Pearl (Steven Universe), Amethyst/Peridot (Steven Universe), Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe), Rose Quartz/Greg Universe, Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 17





	1. Encounter

“Meeting dismissed……”

The voice sent chills down Peridot Greene’s spine. It had been years and she still hadn’t grown accustomed to its goosebump-inducing nature. She hurriedly gathered her laptop and other belongings and proceeded out before she could get even more scared than she already was. Like every other day her backpack hung loosely around her shoulder and her footsteps were rather brisk before she came in front of a door that leads a gateway straight to hell. She didn’t want to go. She had tried a number of things to escape its horrifying clutches, but she knew she had to. Her eyes raked over the door once again. Well, here we go…

_High School._

The moment the corridor lay in front of her, she hung her head low and started to take normal length steps in what seemed to be a normal pace. The freshman never liked a lot of attention. She thought she could live perfectly sane without the consistent nagging of hyper students about whatever their teenage minds were currently obsessed with. So like every other day, she kept her face shielded from any eye contact and successfully dodged through the multitude of students that were crowding the halls to her first class- trigonometry.

Like every other day she sat on the same bench- third row, fifth seat. One could get a good look a her number of ‘Camp Pining Hearts’ symbols engraved on it when one sits on it. Like every other day she waited for her only friend, Jasper. Like every other day her hopes were futile as she arrived late. Like every other day she projects out her anger for whatever issue she might be feeling towards Peridot. Like every other day she silently endures her wrath, for she couldn’t afford the single person who talked to her, even if she did take her for granted. Like every other she silently scribbled down some notes and a ‘Percierre’ doodle before the bell rand for her next class. Like every single day another few of her lessons went by. Like every other day she mentally cursed the time table when P.E. arrived.

It was no surprise that Peridot hated Physical Education. She could do those warm up and stuff, maybe even run a few hundred meters, but downright despised ‘Ball Season’. She couldn’t bear everyone laughing at her as she clumsily misses the easiest of catches, like every other day.

All in all, everything till now went like every other day, till it didn’t.

She desperately wanted to escape. So, in the midst of the wave of students she quietly snuck out the corridor and made her way to the janitor’s closet. On the outset it did seem mainstream, but little did everyone know that there was actually a passage that lead to an extension of the school. A part only a few selected people knew of. She never really went to it just because it gave her the willies, but today she didn’t have much to do so why not? She pushed the cleaning carts away after scrunching her nose due to its pungent odour, and lightly pressed the wall. It opened up and she went down the stairs. The light sound of her footsteps could be heard, and she prayed no one was there who could land her up in trouble. She finally saw the wall that contained a number of gateways. There was nothing magical (yet) about them, but each did hold a certain mysterious element. She gets both excited and terrified facing them. As she proceeded further towards it, a faint voice was heard by her, singing. A chill runs down her spine.

_‘Maybe I’ll find myself sitting on that distant shore…..’_

Peridot appreciated music fairly. She wasn’t a song-a-holic like the band people claimed themselves to be, but did like to hear quite a range of songs. But that, that had to be the most beautiful voice she’d ever heard. Better than any Grammy winning, a million views getting singer in her opinion. Her voice was tinkling, clear, passionate. Her emotions shone through, as if she really was missing sanctuary, and returning to it was a fantasy. That closure was a hallucination. A shattered dream _. Peridot knew a thing or two about those._

Her melody was magnetic, almost supernatural. Like a fairy. Slightly nasal, but that made it all the more entrancing. She had never had that much of an urge to approach anyone in her life, even including Jasper. She wanted to hear more of it. She pressed her ear on the door to hear her clearer. She then contemplated something. Should she acknowledge her presence? She did want to, to be honest. Even if they wouldn’t talk, she could still sit beside her and treat her ears on her heavenly sound. But what it she got creeped out?

Well, she had come this far, might as well check it out. What could possibly go wrong, right?

She gently turned the doorknob. She tried to keep its click as silent as possible. Once she did that, she didn’t notice the singer’s voice falter even a little. Meaning she didn’t notice her yet.

_ Awesome start. _

She walked inside with her footsteps as soft as possible, and closed the door behind her. She didn’t notice her still.

_ Good going.  _

Maybe that place was an old storage unit or something, because there was a huge pile of boxes and whatnot in its centre. From down there she could see only the tiniest of details about her.

The first thing she saw was a tuft of blue hair. She couldn’t know its exact extent, but guessed it didn’t go past her shoulders. It was rather unusual, for she never saw anyone with blue hair in her school. Being the unnoticeable kind she often observed a lot. She couldn’t speak so she listened, couldn’t be seen so saw. There were quite a few on and off trends on dying one’s hair, but she was positive this student had never been in those corridors in her view. Maybe she wasn’t able to observe as much still. Maybe. She quietly started to climb on the boxes, trying not to create a noisy mess. When she almost reached at the top was when her vision took her in. And she was not even a hair less aesthetically pleasing than her voice.

She wore a tank top that perfectly matched her hair. Her skirt was long and smooth, probably made of silk or similar material. A stack of books and files lay neatly beside her, some papers sticking out, probably to colour code her material. Her legs swung in time to her beat, which was almost textbook. She was leaning on her hands that were situated behind her, who she then saw move to one of her flower covered pens, and twist one of its tendrils, her fingers delicately twirling it, before she lifted her head as the lyrics flowed out of her effortlessly.

_‘Maybe I’m not alone…’_

She looked absolutely divine. Just like a movie. A heart-stopping vision. It was unreal.

“ _Woah_ …” she gasped in awe. She couldn’t help it. Her encounter with her melody was just so- it just took her breath away. And just as her moment started, it was ruined. The girl probably didn’t like visitors, or was very taken aback, or had a bad past with surprises, for she tensed up, took a huge terrifying gasp, peered over her shoulder ever so slightly, took her stuff and gracefully leaped down the huge mound in one go. Peridot could only catch a glimpse of her dark, black eyes before she ran. She tried to call out for her.

“Wait! I swear I really liked your voice. It was pretty, um, pretty! I just want to talk, or just hear you. I swear I’m empty handed! I won’t interrupt, I’m a nice girl, ask anyone out her. Please, don’t go…”

But no avail. She opened the door for the exit and rushed out. Peridot regretted for not attending P.E. lessons , for it took her quite some time to climb down. She was way too precautious for her own good sometimes doing such activities. When she’d reached down and stepped out, the mystery girl had vanished. But, she had left for her keepsake one of the many pages she had gotten along with her. It was unintentional she knew, but couldn’t help but take it. It was a drawing.

A broken-lettered ‘ _I’m okay’_ written in front of a single crying eye.


	2. Amethyst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot meets quite an interesting individual....

Peridot gazed on the sheet of paper in her hand, feeling crestfallen. She was so close in overcoming her awkwardness and actually talking to what seemed like a nice person, but of course her big mouth had to ruin everything. Why on Earth couldn’t she have been smoother? She would have kept her mouth shut and said something after her session. Just been silent like she always had been. That would have at least gotten them somewhere, and she for once had an awesome ice-breaker. Just why was she such an _idiot??_

Regardless, she was gone. Absent now. Peridot wanted to talk to her again, but knew it would take a lot of time. She reckoned if her first impression was charming. Heh, probably not. With the intention of not overthinking the situation at hand, she started to analyze the drawing. The skill in that was commendable. Her strokes were precise, and like her song the feelings were ready to pour out of those strokes. Minimal colour was used, which amplified the emotional quotient. _She wondered what her story was…_

..... 

“Hey!”

Her trance was broken in a matter of seconds. The voice she just heard was too loud and inviting to be ignored.

“Hey you there! You’re tryna bunk or somethin’?”

Peridot froze. She couldn’t handle another detention. Being with Jasper did give her a whole lot of punishments she didn’t deserve. She decided not to look back. Maybe she’ll leave without looking at her face.

“Hey, you triangle head! I won’t snitch, I’m getting bored out here and I wanna talk with someone”

 _How dare she!_ Sure her hair was oddly combed, but that was just a very inappropriate way of calling her. She wanted to give her a piece of her mind, but resisted. She disliked unnecessary fights. Just had a bad history with those. She turned back to look at her. She recognized who she was.

Amethyst Cortez.

School baseball team player, gifted drummer and dancer, class snoozer. She had heard her name quite a few times, and even saw her around, mostly her with her little group. A tall, lean girl who was also in trigonometry with her, an Afro-American girl whose height rivals the other girl’s at probably 6’2”, and a curvy one whom apparently a lot of guys drool over and was probably on her way in being the new head girl. They were always seen together, laughing and joking around, which did make the lonely girl envious, but she digressed. She didn’t need company. She was a lone wolf.

Anyways, she gave her a look of annoyance, to which the other giggled slightly.

“What’s so funny? Can’t you see my anti-social tendencies and my will to not talk to anyone?”

Amethyst’s giggles turned into laughter

“Wha? ‘Anti-social’ what now? Oh god, you’re almost as bad as Pearl! And she’s like, the hugest nerd ever” Peridot didn't know what was so funny that Amethyst was almost wheezing.

She sneered,“Well I don’t find it amusing. And moreover, how did you find this place?” It was skeptical, for only a handful of students knew about it. All part of….

“Just tumbled across it! You know, one day roaming the halls like a fish and the next day you know you find the most efficient way to miss some classes”

“Hmmm….” She eyed her suspiciously.

“What decetive Dorito? Did I commit a crime?”

Ok, maybe she wasn’t here for illegal purposes like many of the students who come here were, but she was getting on her last nerve and she seriously thought of reporting her. She would be caught too, though, but _still_. Detective Dorito? _Was she for real?_

“Its Peridot Greene you imbecile!” she shrieked. Her mind still wandered to the thought that maybe she could expose the place, and- let’s just say awry things may be on their way.

“Ah…I was wondering if that cute face had a name”

Okay now Peridot was completely blushing. Traces of red dusted her cheeks before, but now she was flustered. It was the first time she was called cute, and she didn’t mind the person who said it at all. Amethyst was very attractive, with ample curves and thick body and long, curtain like hair.

“What, cat got your tongue, baby?”

“I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Suuuure you don’t. Anyways, my gang and I are hangin out this weekend! Wanna join us. We could use some nerdy adorableness over here. Unless someone like you are not occupied, of course”

“No. My schedule is rather empty this weekend. I’ll contemplate and let you know tomorrow.”

“Cool, give your number Peri”

She gave her number with persistent redness on her face.

“Got it! Catch you later cutie. Call me if you wanna”

_Nope, not disappointed at all._

She wrote hers one a piece of paper and gave it to her, winking before she left. Her eyes gazed at now the two pieces of paper on her hands. Both were showing promise, just of different kinds. The mysterious girl had an aura that she wanted to delve into and had a feeling that it would be a fresh and desirable experience, while with Amethyst she knew she might have a shot in having a more normal life with normal friends to balance out her alter ego. But hey, she wasn’t interested in any one of them.

Yet.

And little did she know what she had just gotten herself involved into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. There are just a few things I'd like to say here.  
> -We will get to know what her alter-ego is later in the story. This may seem like a romantic one, but I don't usually write much romance so this will have other exciting elements too.  
> -Amethyst does look a bit shallow, but I'll take care of that later. I love her to death, so she won't disappoint you.  
> -Other ships including the ones here will emerge later on. So, stay tuned!
> 
> Thank you for reading and leave kudos if you liked it.


	3. New group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot hangs out with a new company

_“Peridot Greene”_

_“Yes, my Diamond?”_

_“I am here to order you to stop whatever work has been given to you earlier”_

_“But my Diamond it has been months and-“_

_"Then stop it"_

_"But, your excellence we can't restart-"_

_“I. DON’T. CARE” her voice heightened rapidly. It frightened Peridot immensely, and even thought she tried her best not to look as if she would run for cover then and there, she did flinch._

_“Ughh…” the older person kept held her hand on her forehead, pinching her temples “I meant to say was that this mission is our foremost priority right now. We can’t compromise on our jobs from now on, and need to perform better. We may be slowly descending towards a vulnerable position I don’t even want to give a single thought to. Leave everything and do as I say henceforth. I cannot tell you your next mission now, for our security may not be as promising here this moment. But, meet me at this very spot tomorrow.”_

_“Yes, my Diamond” her head hung low, her voice barely keeping itself together. Timid._

_She held her chin up using one of her fingers, and using a beautifully sinister voice spoke” I know you won’t let me down” Manipulative._

_“Y-y-yes, my Diamond. Peridot out.”_

* * *

Every day since that fateful time her legs would take her back to the same exact location when she first met her. It was a habit quickly induced, and she couldn’t stop herself from feeling hopeful that she would meet her again soon. Unfortunately, every single time was a huge disappointment as she was only welcomed with silence. She was persistent, but no results. She might have scared her off forever. Or maybe she just decided to find another place to… do whatever she had to do. Yeah, she went with the latter. She even tried other places too, like the cafeteria bins, the alley between the school buildings, and many more. And before she knew it, in the midst of this secretly initiated hide and seek, came the weekend.

Peridot reached the location Amethyst had given her via text. Thankfully her house wasn’t far.

Ringing the doorbell was another job on its own, for she did feel extremely nervous and had started to rethink her decision of coming here. As soon as she almost made her mind to come some another time, the door opened.

Amethyst was very friendly, to say at the least. Her smile was welcoming; unlike the provocative ones she gave last time they met. Her little company was there, too.

The moment they saw a girl on Amethyst’s arm, almost all gazes fell on her, enabling her to fell shy. No matter how much she counselled herself, her gut told her she still wasn’t ready for this.

“Hey guys, meet Peridot! A total nerd I met at school I was telling you about. I think you’re gonna like this one, Pearl” she said winking towards the lean girl.

The girl, Pearl, tore her eyes from the big pink-haired one somewhat uninterestingly. Peridot shrunk a little. Maybe this was a bad idea. It was clear all four had some history and she felt like a stick in the mud amongst them. Pearl noticed her reaction.

“Oh, no, no, no! I think we’ll be able to find some common ground for sure” Pearl covered up with a smile.

“So, Peridot, lemme give you an introduction to our party. The tall hot mama is Garnet,”

The Afro-American girl raised her hand in acknowledgement, her expression shielded from her glasses. Peridot was a little relieved for not having to see whatever expression of disapproval she might have.

“And this curvy sexy one is Rose.”

Rose very enthusiastically ran towards her and held her hand out to shake. Peridot returned the gesture.

It was kinda strange to see that everyone remained unwearied of the fact that she was sort of flirting in the open.

“Oh Peridot! I think we have met before, in third grade, I suppose. But am I not thrilled to see you! Amethyst told me you were quite fond of studies, and I think it is quite endearing to see someone so interested to attain knowledge about this wonderful planet. I’m Rose”

She never thought of studies in that level of poetic manner, though was certainly fond of learning. Her smile, gestures and voice were very sweet, justifying her name.

“And I think you’ve already met Pearl” Amethyst ended her part.

It was not that they were meeting the first time or anything. It was safe to say that she had met every ninth grader in her school at some point or another. Being in the same school since pre-K did give them lots of opportunities to talk, but none of them were exactly memorable, and she didn’t even remember their names clearly, for Pete’s sake.

~~sssssss~~

She didn’t know what to say in the midst of the discussion they were having afterwards. They all had memories that they were sharing, though some of which amused her. She didn’t have much of an input, probably a snarky comment or two about any teacher they had been talking about. Sensing this, Garnet softly asked “What do _you_ want to do, Peridot?”

Peridot froze on her spot. She wanted to go home, in all honesty, but didn’t want to come off as rude or ungrateful. They _were_ concerned about her, and only a fool would pass up such an opportunity to make friends.

“I don’t know” she said,” for now I just want to drink a glass of water”

“Sure thing pal, kitchen’s just down this hall and first right”

She stumbled upon Rose’s leg, and with a bashful sorry fled away. When she reached there, she helped herself with a long glass of ice cold water. She needed to say something to keep them interested. She paced back and forth and mentally thought of some topic to start that doesn’t come off as dorky. In the midst of all the mental discussion she hadn’t realized but she was suddenly facing an engraving. A purple gemstone in the middle of….a flower? A tulip? A hibiscus? Daisy, perhaps? The whole picture itself was very rough and broken, but she could still make out a few of the details. The most absurd thing about it, however, was that it was familiar. It induced an odd sense of remembrance- a déjà vu, if you may- and she held out her hand to touch it _. It was fascinating…….._

“Hey, you must have drunk an entire ocean by now! What’s taking ya so long?”

“N-n-n-nothing!”

“Okay then, come on, let’s watch a movie. Your pick”

She headed back, following her to the living are set up with cushions, pizzas and drinks. It was nice. A completely non-communicational way of enjoyment where she didn’t have much of a chance to embarrass herself. Her mind wandered off that symbol.

The movie itself was a thriller, which piqued her interest. She was sandwiched between Amethyst and the corner of the couch. She had problems sitting on the floor, unlike Garnet. Pearl was leaning onto Rose the entirety of the film. She could see Amethyst expression harden and Garnet shake her head ever so slightly every time Pearl gave an exceptionally romantic sigh during the love filled scenes that the director had placed rather poorly. _Did Pearl love Rose?_ I mean, it was apparent, but decided to still inquire on this later.

Amethyst had placed her head on her shoulder in the middle, and her face heated up. She was never shown such gesture before. _This was new_. She kept hers on her head afterwards, and Garnet noticed that. She looked away and lifted hers off. She didn’t want to come off as too comfortable yet. Amethyst’s position didn’t change.

When it all ended and the lights were on Peridot whispered in Amethyst’s ear if she knew anything about Pearl and Rose. Amethyst, noticing that no one’s interest was on them ushered her to a corner and told

“Of course she likes her, isn’t that obvious?”

“It was glaringly so”

“What is?” Pearl suddenly asked, cutting in. A hint of suspicion was on her face.

“The fact that you have wet dreams about Rose”

“AMETHYST!” she hissed. Her hands covered her flustered face.

“I’m just sayin’” Amethyst chided back, nudging her. Pearl mumbled something about her being insufferable.

Soon everyone took their turns asking questions about Peridot. Much to her relief, none of them delved too deep, and just like that her curfew neared. Rose gave her number just in case she wanted to talk. Amethyst went with her to her kitchen as she was parched yet again.

“You know P-dot, you’re not half bad for a nerd”

“Hey! I take offence to that.” She replied playfully

“Have you _seen_ Pearl before exam season? If I can handle her you are not much of a task”

“I can prove you wrong, you know”

“Well, you somewhat already have. I never knew a _geek_ could be so _cool_! I half expected that you’d pick an educational sci-fi one, not a thriller! ”

“Well, what can I say? "She did a gesture like one of those fake-humbled actors, and in the midst of that banter didn’t realize that she pressed that purple gemstone. Their surroundings were slowly filling up with smoke, which alarmed everyone as they all rushed to that very spot. She covered her hand. The scent was not poisonous, rather sweet. Something was not quite right.

At their arrival Peridot became defensive, “I swear I wasn’t doing anything wrong! Amethyst said some stuff and I was backing it up and-“

“Garnet, escort her out to safety. We’ll handle this”

Garnet took her out by the collar swiftly and to ensure they were in the corridor before anything disastrous happened.

She could faintly hear them speaking-

“Amethyst, how could you be so irresponsible!”

“It was not my idea to press it. It was an accident she did”

“The only thing I know is that you could at least keep it covered. Why do you leave it out in the open? She was seconds away from knowing-”

Their voices faded off.

 _Knowing what?_ She wiggled slightly to signal that she wanted to go back. _What was that thing? And why did she want to know? Why was she thinking she might have encountered it in the past?_ Garnet’s steps never ceased until they were out on the road.

Peridot rubbed her neck (partially due to embarrassment, partially due to pain), and gave a nervous chuckle. Garnet kept her hand on her shoulder and consoled” You did nothing wrong. I am not mad, nor will the others be. Not at you, at least. However, beware, because you might not know what fate would have in store for you. Have a good night,” and with that she left.

She sounded like one of the Divination masters in Harry Potter, all mysterious and deep. She couldn’t quite make sense of her words, and she didn't know what she had done that made her say that particular advice. It wasn’t like she was expecting anything what she could call particularly abnormal to happen after living for about three years in perilous shadows. Taking it with a grain of salt, she proceeded back.

* * *

_“I want you to make connections. This may be valuable. Although we have high authorities with us, I still think we have to make extra arrangements to remain a step ahead”_

_“Are you suggesting what I’m thinking you’re suggesting?” a booming voice asked._

_“I’m not suggesting, I am demanding. This better be put into action as soon as possible.”_

_Just as the person saluted off and was about to leave, the other person stopped them, and pulled them as she whispered in the ear, partially singing-_

_“And remember, none other than you, I and the other two know of this. Not even our most trusted members. You must do your duties successfully in top secrecy. And also, do tell your head that I’ll be scheduling a meeting with him tomorrow at quarter past six.”_

_“I will definitely obey any order you may bestow upon me”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I know this is more of an unnecessary filler chapter, and the story hasn't been rather interesting so far, but believe me this is the foundation of what is to come. More of a preface, if you may. So, please bear with me here
> 
> Also, I know that the character introductions weren't that good, but it was part of the plan. We will delve more into their stories later on.
> 
> Some of you may have guessed the italic parts, but if you haven't, stay tuned!^^  
> Leave comments! I would love to hear what you guys think of the story so far and give me constructive criticism once in a while. Also, I'm open to questions.  
> And don't forget to give kudos if you liked the story!!  
> Thank you for reading!   
> :)


	4. Another day

To say the news was shocking would be an understatement. It practically took her two whole lessons to unhinge her jaw from the floor after hearing it.   
Jasper, the largest bully, the girl from even the toughest of guys would cower away from, had a girlfriend.  
  
A fucking girlfriend.

_Holy shit._

Okay, maybe it was wrong to judge her on her tough girl exterior but she seriously didn’t have a good past with relationships. She tended to go fast and rough, owing to her interests and personality. And of course there were the cheating problems, her over inflated ego, her irritating habits. Overall, she wasn’t exactly ‘Best Girlfriend’ material. The poor girl probably was out of her senses, got threatened with no room for escape, just didn’t know her, or was just as much of an evil brute.   
Judging on the way she talked to her before fourth period, though, she had placed her bets on the fourth option.  
Lapis Larimar was downright nasty.   
Raking her eyes disgustingly over her form and sneering a stereotype about computer-loving students didn’t exactly make a good first impression on her. She didn’t even have the damn audacity to pick her folder up when she ‘accidently’ shoved it on the floor. She was clinging onto Jasper’s arm the whole time, starting dangerously at her with those beady black eyes. ‘They really were perfect for each other’ she thought. Of course, giving her friend the benefit of the doubt a bazillionth time, she decided to give Lapis a chance on Jasper's. It’s not going to affect them, she knew, but liked to hope her opinions would matter to her friend’s life at least once.  
Speaking of which, the entire day she had tried to avoid Amethyst and her friends wherever she saw them. She’d rather start a conversation with “Hello!” than “You know who got injured after you horribly screwed shit up?” It was inevitable though, sooner or later she did have to encounter them bieng in yhe same school and all. And it happened just before lunch  
“Hello, Peridot” a calm voice called her. Her let out an internal scream. She slowly turned back, eyes going everywhere except the person in front  
“H-hey Rose. Listen I’m really sorry-“  
“Apology accepted”  
“I know I messed up pretty bad but- wait, whaat??”  
“It was not your fault; none of us are disappointed with you. I for one think you’re rather charming”  
“Heh…charming, yup that’s me” she said with a tinge of sarcasm  
“I’m sure you are. Why don’t you sit with us at lunch? I’m sure we’ll be able to accommodate one more seat”  
“Ok, if you insist” she chuckled bashfully, though internally sighing in relief. Once Rose was out of her sight, Peridot heard someone taunt  
“So, the all star and our resident geek! Who would’ve thought?”  
“Lapis, what do you want?” she said through gritted teeth, facing her smirking face.  
“Oh, nothing at all! Can’t I meet my girl’s best friend? I’ve heard those two roles make quite the partners in crime” she faked innocence.  
“Yeah, catch some other bait” luckily for her she she was just about to finish packing her stuff before heading to lunch.  
“Peridot, come on, why do you think I’m a bad person, huh?” she leaned closer to her.  
“Why? Let’s see, shall we? Because you totally didn’t comment on my lifestyle, the one that I’m comfortable with. And also your comment about Rose’s friendship was certainly necessary.” She rolled her eyes.  
“I was just stating my observations, no need to go all ‘attack mode’ on me”  
“Well, I don’t give a damn about your observations. Use those skills in a biology class”  
"I will. At least someone here ought to get a good score. And I doubt it will be you, based on your scores"  
"How did you know?"her eyes widened. They've only just met. Biology was her biggest Achilles heel, but there only too many explanations for how she must have found out.  
“Just like that....Oh, and I’ve also heard you won the first prize in sixth grade hack-“  
“Shhhh… shut up about that!” she clasped her hands on her mouth. What will she do to hush up?  
“I just read in the student’s achievement list, at the office in which I work in…” she muffled  
Peridot’s patience was declining now. The topic was too sensitive for her “Larimar, stay out of my life! You’re Jasper’s girl, so if you really want to stick your ugly leg in someone's life, do it at hers”  
Lapis got infuriated “Look, I just came here to have a conversation with you. I might have been a little unfriendly at times but this is no way to be rude. Apologize”  
“Little? Yeah right! Also, I won’t” there was a fire that ignited in her. It was thrilling to see how she could try defending herself from Peridot’s hidden treasury of comebacks.  
Lapis and Peridot had a bit of a staring contest then, their eyes flaring.  
Something odd happened in the midst of it, though. Both started with angry gazes at each other. Then, something clicked in Peridot’s head. She didn’t know what it was. There was substance, though. Their gazes’ lingered and even if was something very miniscule, Peridot thought her eyes were linked to something in the past. Another déjà vu. Something…  
Maybe Lapis was coming to the same realization, too, as her eyes softened moments after. It held shock and disbelief, with hints of curiosity. Neither could speak nor move. Time hadn't stopped , but it also had. Like suspended animation, Peridot thought. Either way, they had to gather whatever bits and pieces they had to put together the parts of the puzzling thoughts that crowded their brain at that moment. Lapis was about to speak up something ,which Peridot wanted to hear badly for some reason. And just when she opened her mouth Jasper came, bellowing like it was nothing at all.

_It actually was nothing at all. The girl was too rude to be a good memory._

Lapis held her new girlfriend and kissed her deeply, almost strangely. It felt forced and, just not right to Peridot. Their lips were mashing but there was practically no passion hidden under those layers of what seemed like lust. Her skills in romance were only based on the superficial world of CPH, but even then she could make out the difference between a genuine kiss and an opposite one. She didn’t give it much thought. Why was she caring? What did she have to do caring about these people?

Lunch went smoothly. Everyone was delighted to see her again, and she sheepishly returned the smiles and gestures. Amethyst was reciting the most recent prank she had pulled. Peridot thought it was funny, especially after imagining the look the teacher might have held. Pearl, on the other hand, didn’t think so-  
“Amethyst, what if she had caught you? You would have been suspended, or worse expelled!”  
Peridot wanted to tell she might be wrong, but didn’t speak. Her words had a history of having major consequences.  
“Chill out, P” Amethyst rolled her eyes. Pearl looked at her in disbelief.  
“Yes, Pearl, give the girl a break” Garnet spoke  
“See? Even mamma here doesn’t care. And you know her ‘not caring’ never happens, like, ever! Hey, are you sure you’re the same Garnet?”she looked sceptically, poking her face to make sure. Garnet gave her trademark thumbs up, silencing her childish doubt. Peridot giggled.  
“Pearl, teenagers play pranks all the time, it is quite alright. Hey, Amethyst, include me in your next one!” Rose excitedly continued. Pearl couldn’t argue with her.  
“Pearl, now even hottie here said it. You have to excuse me now, your excellence” she mocks, and chivarlously kisses her hand.  
Looking at Pearl’s red and almost and explosive face, everyone thought she was going to rebut with something back, but instead sighed deeply. “I was just looking out for you” she said dejectedly.  
“Awww….does Pearl care about little Amethyst?” she jutted out her lower lip, and spoke in a whiny yet adorable voice while hugging her arm. It was a very amusing scene. Pearl blushed and looked away and grumbled.  
All broke into fits of laughter. Amethyst hit Peridot playfully on her shoulder. It felt surprising, but not in a bad way.   
The rest of lunch went on rather silently, as all wanted to ingest some food to endure the classes afterwards.

* * *

  
  
Peridot was thankful that her high-tech laptop was by her side, or else she couldn’t even see her hand in the darkness that surrounded her. The only source of light was the weak glowing lightbulb above the Head’s chairs. The biggest chair was rarely ever sat on, owing to the fact that the CEO was never present, whilst the other two were occupied by two masked figures. Rumour was that they were both students of that school, and hence kept their masks on tight. Peridot didn’t believe that, because for her it wouldn’t ever change the fact that she was held captive here…  
The Yellow masked figure gave a deep cough,  
“Good afternoon, my people. Let’s be clear that today, in this court, I’ve ordered from you all your masks. Is there someone who has forgotten?”  
Peridot's covering was rarely ever out her bag. She knew it was in there.   
A boy of about eighteen timidly raised his hand up. He gulped in nervousness.  
“Leave immediately, Noah. Don’t come in this room until after two weeks” the blue masked one said calmly, yet seeming to hold a storm. The boy, Noah, left without thinking twice.  
The identities of the students and teachers had to be preserved. There would be dire consequences otherwise. Peridot had heard once a young male was caught and was expelled out of the school on the grounds of tresspassing. The committee had to shut down for a solid two months. Those were periods of grest losses for all....  
She continued, ”Well, now that that's over with, I must remind you that in any time from now our rival group might try to invade. Cover your faces at all times. Don’t let them know your identity. "Of course she had to repeat it. Peridot started playing the offline dinosaur game on her laptop.  
"Peridot,"  
“Yes, my Diamond” her attention snapped towards her  
“Hack the school security immediately. So as I was saying, remember to use code words and never let your gaurds down. White will personally award the people who were able to do their part with full determination."  
Peridot couldn't help but roll her eyes. This was too much baloney for her to believe. As if that lady will even be satisfied by anyone's efforts other than herself's. She knew the reward could only be as great as getting a single toffee on a perfect score. The same couldn't be said for the others, though. They all seemed pretty set on getting that recognition. Her eyes were transfixed on her laptop afterwards, fingers typing furiously fast. She was halfway done, when there was a loud knocking on the door.  
"Yellow, Blue open up"  
"Yeah or we'll knock this place down down!" That sounded familiar....

The two leaders gestured some to flee, whilst the others to fight, as they were taken to safety by their two loyal servants. Peridot was part pf the fleeing group. She just had to finish her bussiness in another minute, and grab her stuff. Her pace increased, but it still wasn't fast enough, for their enemies had burst in. 

All of them were wearing spandex suits and had their faces shadowed with black cloth. They all certainly looked strong, and all four had a different weapon. One a spear made out of metal, one with two gauntlets on either of his/her arms, one with a swords and the last with a whip. 'Medivial, much?' Her fellow colleagues had stanced as per requirement in their formation, while Peridot prayed that the code remaining wasn't that long. Her focus was only on the device, its sounds of clicking blocking everything else away. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, though, as she realized that it was being snatched away. Her grip remained tight as she pulled it towards her with full force. The light fell on her facr and she knew she had to shield it. Her identity was at stake otherwise. Her attacker, a thin person, seemed to be distracted beacuse their movements faltered slightly and the flawless posture they had seemingly taken before also slipped, which gave her the perfect chance to seal the mask and with a final pull take her device, dashing straight for the corridor. The whole cult was at stake now, so she quickly multitasked, typing and running. Whilst the whole escape she bumped onto someone. She wished it were not one of them..

_And she was shook to see who it was..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Guess guess guess!! I hate and love cliffhangers;)
> 
> Please leave a comment and kudos if you liked iy  
> P.S-You can also guess on the ships.... ;)  
> :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of the escape scene..... hope you enjoy!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See the end of the chapter for many notes that I want you to read after this!

She quickly multitasked, typing and running. Whilst the whole escape she bumped onto someone. She wished it were not one of them.

And she was shook to see who it was....

The mystery girl

Her blue locks radiant as ever, her attire minutely changed, she pale skin still clear. Yet she still couldn't face her. Peridot rambled to get as many convincing words out of her mouth as she could in a minute  
"Hi,IamPeridotandIreallylikedyourvoicethatday (inhales) Ihopeyourememberme,Ijustwannabeyourfriend"

The other girl took a deep breath, seeming to understand her words and whispered softly "Who are you?"

Peridot gulped and responded"Greene" Her voice was enticing, to say the least.

The girl spoke hauntinghly " You should stay away from me"

Peridot inched closer, " Why? You seem nice"

The girl's voice increased its volume, yet remained nothing more than a whisper" You don't even know who I am. Stop making presumptions!" She was slowly breaking down " Please, stay away from me. I beg of you. I don't want anyone to find out. Please, stop giving me hope"

Peridot's heart broke at her statement. She really was broken. Her mind went back to the drawing she got that day. She was not okay, and she couldn't handle it.  
"Hey...."  
The girl took inhaled sharply, shutting her up.  
Peridot fumbled through her pockets, finding something

"For what it's worth, take back your artwork. You dropped it earlier"

A few seconds passed, before she spoke

"You-"

And just then the doors burst open yet again, revealing one of the same group of people chasing them. This time the person was short and stout, barely able to run with the same speed as the other tall one. Peridot remembered suddenly'The hack' and she quickly typed in the rest of the code. Only a handful of words were left. The satisfying click of ENTER and the countdown reached her ears. The attacker was near them, and she knew she had to get both her and the other girl out. 

Poor girl looked petrified. Peridot held her hand and ran as fast as she could. She didn't look back to see her, no matter how much wanted to do otherwise. She respected boundaries. She lead her all the way down the corridor, and she could feel her opponent's footsteps inching closer. They were almost at the end, and Peridot pushed the girl away, their eyes briefly locking once again, only for the shortest of seconds. But it was more than the last time, and she could see that those black irises were just as much intruiged by her green ones. She said after remebering one crucial thought "You leave, I'll have to get my stuff, or else someone will know"

"Then I'll wait. You can't go there alone" 

"Hey, you were the one telling me to leave"

"But now I don't. I can't live with the guilt. "

"Dude,like you said before, you don't even know if I'm worth saving. Stop being so melodramatic. Just leave before its too late" she hated uneccessary drama

The short girl must have stopped or bifurcated somewhere else, for her steps couldn't be felt anymore. A light whisper made its way to her 

" _But what if I want to know you?"_

Peridot froze. Rarely had anyone shown any interest in someone like her. Right. She didn't know her obsession with CPH, or her face, or her technological knowledge, or her disinterst in typical teenager stuff, or her nasal laughing voice. Right. Better back out before she is let down...

"Okay ,but how?" She found herself speaking almost involuntarily. ' _What are you doing ??'_

"Same place, tomorrow, same time" and with that she fled, her back turned against her the whole conversation.   
She was composing herself once again after that encounter. " _Woah...."_ she spoke yet again.

" ** _Stop right there!!"_**

Somehow the stubby chaser had yet again gotten closer. This time the distance was only a few steps. She ducked under her outstreched arm which had her whip ready to be used, and dashed to reach for her stuff.' _If I were this fast in P.E. I would probably be graded_ an A _every single time'_ She had enough time to gather everything an cheched the timer. Yup, about three and a half minutes left. She felt a leathery object wrap around her. She arched her back in pain.

"Hey," she said, waving with her other hand, as if they were friends.

"Leave me you arse, or else!"

"Or else you'll throw some geeky knowledge at me? Sorry pal, already had enough of that" she could hear her smirk. It angered her

"Now, be a good girl and tell me everything you know" her voice was now stern.

"NEVER!" She could never show disloyalty towards her leader

"Okay then, guess I'll just have to...." her hands reached out to her. She wiggled to escape. Just then, here movements halted. From what she could see, her eyes held a worrisome look. She whispered" _Oh_ _no_ " ,barely audible, as if she had lost something valuable. What had happened?

"You're lucky she is injured, or else you didn't have a chance" she dropped her whip and in a mad dash went somewhere. Using the other end she untied herself, her heart beating in her chest. What happened? And why did she have the feeling she knew both of the people she met from somewhere?

Curiosity getting the better of her, she went back to where the other person had gone. She saw her leaning over the tall, slim girl she who had been chasing her before 

"Are you alright" she asked, voice full of concern. Her hand lighlty massaged the other person's foot.

"Yes I am. Why did you come here, though? You know I can look out for myself"

"Can't a girl worry for her friend? If something would have happened to you ...."

"Nothing ever happens to me. But please don't go on comprising the missions for my sake. Quartz would be so angry"

"She won't after she knows the _heroic_ act I had done!" She puffed her chest, getting a giggle out of her comraderie.   
Her heart melted slightly at the scene. It was soon interrupted by the blinking lights of her watch, signalling that only about a couple of seconds left.

Once she escaped she could hear the faint sound of alarms. One of their teammates was injured, so they would have a hard time running out in time. Proud of her work, she went outside before her bus left and she would have to invest her money yet again for a new ticket.

Outside she saw the familiar school building. The lights were off, indicating that everybody had left. The first graders finger paintings could still be seen pasted on the windows, the skateboard tracks were still marked on the soil, the bottles of soda carelessly thrown by the tenth graders were still there, the faint tinkling of the windchimes rang like it always did. It was like an ordinary after-school hour.

_But she knew better...._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> This was kept short because I didn't want uneccessary scene making a mess of the whole point of the chapter.  
> -This about settles much of the background on which this plot will revolve around. I know this has been really substandard till now, but I assure you many, many twists will be on their way, so please stay tuned!!  
> -I know you might be confused of the whole secret corridor thing, but I do have this mind map according to which I am writing. Later on I might dedicate a chapter entirely to this area, where all doubts would be clear. As of now, you can imagine this whichever way you may like. Any questions regarding this will be answered.  
> -As you may know, the identities of the whole squad might or might not be clear to y'all but they will be incorporated later on...so I'm very sorry to say any character or ship revelations would be done as the story continues. You can still guess if you like.  
> \- I really appreciate constructive criticism, it makes me want to improve on my writing. So I would really like if you tell me how this goes. I am not very confident with it but am working on it.  
> -Kudos would also be appreciated! :)
> 
> Thank you all! Have a good day/night!!!  
> :)


	6. Chapter 6

Today was a grave day. Today was a day that would go down in this school's history for sure. The seniors knew the story, an every friend, bully, enemy, or otherwise, became united to spread the story to the juniors, who spread it to their junior. Like a legacy. A sad, terrifying legacy.

Today was the day when Priscillia Dietz died.

It was one of the more unsolved cases. What they did know was that on this day, right after fourth lesson, she was found in the washroom, a pool of blood around her dead body. That was a horrifying scene. The school was immediately evacuated. The murderer was probably extremely clever, seeing that no fingerprints or hair or just any forensic evidence was there, just a knife with a red handle. Some theories contemplated suicide, but her domestic and social life was pretty stable. Her social media was pretty null, her foster parent very caring and financially stable, her friends true. That didn't put it out of the question, though. The school was off for a whole month, and many students as well as teachers were put in a long winded trial. Peridot thankfully wasn't one of them, for she knew she couldn't handle the stress and would definately panic. Rose Cooper joined from her long disappearance to Hawaii soon after.

Peridot didn't think much of it, for her mind was preoccupied with many, many more thoughts, several of which were revolving around the person whom she were about to meet during P.E. She was lucky no one other than Jasper really cared whether or not she were going to that damned lesson, and she quietly snuck away like the thousand of times she'd done before. She slowly went forward towards the room that were to be their meeting point. Her steps were steady, almost afraid that someone would catch her. Her hands slowly opened the doorknob with a low click, and she peered inside to see the girl she had been anticipating for. Much to her surprise, she was there, but her back was still turned towards her. When Peridot approached her form, she whispered for her to stay back. She pleaded in the end, so she just sat with her face towards her back. Her didn't know how to start the conversation, so she just asked how was she.  
"I am okay, I guess" she spoke softly, with that same haunting beautiful voice.   
Peridot gave a nervous chuckle. She thought of something else to keep up the conversation  
"What was that song?" She questioned curiously.  
She hugged herself, her head bent slightly "That's personal."  
"Oh, ok-kay..."  
"Why were you here the other day?" her voice held a certain suspicion.  
"J-just to skip P.E. I don't really like that lesson"  
"How did you find this place?"  
She was almost petrified. She had to think of some excuse quickly. She then remembrred what Amethyst had said earlier.  
"I stumbled upon it. This location is rather convenient for me now" she hoped she couldn't read her lie. Even if she did, she gave no indication.  
"Which grade are you in?"  
"Ninth"  
"Hmmm....."  
"You?"  
"I don't exactly have a grade"  
"Okay then, um, what kind of music do you like?"  
"Sad"  
It was way too hard for her to find anything common between them, or something that is not totally depressing. Her thought of heading back.

"But, I do occasionally enjoy Aura-900.." Peridot's eyes widened

"Wait a minute, don't tell me you watch Camp Pining Hearts" her hopes lifted as her voice became excited.  
Aura-900 although did post a few singles, she was the head music producer of the CPH franchise. Peridot was probably one of her biggest fans.

"Well," she chuckled "I have seen some of it, can't say I was dissapointed" she tone lightened up, and she wondered if her face did so too.

"Oh. My. God" she couldn't believe her ears. 

"Yes, and just so you know, don't laugh, I'm team Piercy"Never before had she met a Piercy fan. Either people didn't like CPH, or shipped, Perlette, which was downright criminal for her. Both giggled.

She was shocked yet again."Me too!! Oh my gosh finally!" The information psyched her up probably a lot, for she went closer to her and almost touched her half bare back. She tensed, and the playful mood disappated in second. Her hand curled back. She had to leave.

"Uh, its probably time for me to go.."

"Okay,"

"Yeah. Then, see you later?" She asked hesitantly.

"Okay"

"So, um, bye" right, she didn't knkw her name. "woman..." and with that awkward farewell she fled, not before hearing a soft" See you later"

  
Peridot felt quite, satisfied after that. She met Jasper at the lockers

"That stupid little princess and her stupid little followers" she heard her grumble. Lapis was standing beside her, leaning onto Peridot's locker.

"Hey Jas, what are you talking about?"

Jasper gave her a high five for hello, and continued, "Well, Peridot, my team had to go up against Rose and her puny women. And of course my team was filled with nerds who couldn't run to save their fucking lives. Only Krissy was there for my support, can you believe it? She had like that tall glasses one, the ballet jumping one and even her shorty one was better than my team. Of course we had to lose. And who made Cooper volleyball captain? My serve was ten times better than hers!"

"Why don't you just try for the team?" Peridot inquired

"And not give full attention to football, wrestling and weightlifting? No thank you! This is pathetic, even for you Peri"

Lapis continued "Yeah, I mean, don't you care about your friend?" She smirked, irritating her.

"I do, Larimar. Maybe more than you do about your girlfriend"she snapped back.

"Well, if you're the competiton I am facing, then I'm not scared honey"

"Wha? Are you kidding me Larimar?" She proceeded on keeping her stuff in her locker. Jasper had left with one her friends, but Lapis remained there, and was apperently snorting at something.

"Seriously, I didn't know you were this dorky. I never even thought it possible for anyone to be this dorky!"

"What are you going on about?"

"Camp Pining Hearts? Are you kidding me!" Her hands waved towards the season 5 poster"That's gotta be like, the worst show on TV. And its animated. Are you what, five?"

"Just so you know, there are many mature themes explored in the show. Some episodes are even rated PG-13"

"Hate to break it you Peridot, but kissing on the lip isn't exactly mature"

"Of course you'd know, you pay people for kissing your stupid face ,don't you ?" She shot back, anger flowing through every vein. Only after taking in the words she said and the gasp Lapis took did she realize what she had said. And she regretted it, bad.

"I'm so sorry Lapis. I didn't mean to, it just came out."

"Stop."she voice turned hard. She sighed again.

"I suppose your geeky brain wasn't functioning properly. I forgive you, but even if you don't like me, don't." If she wasn't feeling remorse, the first part might offended her.

"Uh huh.... . Lapis, why don't you go find Jasper?"she asked, eager to escape.

"She must have wandered far by now"

"Well, I'm sure you'll find better company elsewhere"

"What, you're tryna get rid of me?" Her eyes widened

"No, I just think..."

"That I won't find your company appealing, huh? Well, you're fun to tease, so, I think I'll stick around with you for a while" she leaned closer to her side, their arms slightly touching. Peridot's faced turned a bright red for some reason, and her heart felt kinda strange. She wanted to flee, yet stay. Her eyes remained on the crowd, listening to their chatter and Lapis chewing on some kind of gum. Her eyes found Pearl's tuft of peachish hair, and she took her leave towards her.

  
Their group was grave that day. All of them were not exactly the bubbly people they were before. It hit her a few awkward minutes later that maybe it were to do something with Priscillia. She noticed Pearl had sprained her ankle, and asked her about it. She replied something about ballet practice, and remained shut afterwards. She didn't think of asking Garnet anything, for it wouuld just add a whole new layer of awkwardness. Amethyst was lightly stroking Pearl's back, mumbling a few words into her ears. Rose then spoke to everyone to lighten up, but no avail. They were just as sombre. Peridot's mind harboured a question, and she asked-

"Rose, why is everyone so unhappy? I mean, many people knew Priscillia, but they are going along just fine." Peridot half expected a scolding for asking such questions

"I suppose you're right. I never knew Priscillia as much as they did, but talked her quite a bit before going to Hawaii. From what I know, they used to be good friends, before she turned her b-b-back against them. She turned into a reputation-loving student and often humiliated them in public, and then she died. Of course, the suspicion was on them, too, seeing that everyone knew how she was so indecent to her. But luckily they were off to some dance competition, so they were off the hook."

Rose's voice started to crumble and her face looked almost broken. She looked towards the other teenager and mumbled" Well, I suppose Garnet will get over it in a few minutes at the most, and Amethyst is strong enough to not let anything disturb her after an extent. Pearl takes it the hardest. It hurts me seeing her so crestfallen. She is so very close to me, I just can't see her this sad. It hurts me too." Peridot thought if Rose felt the same way about Pearl as Pearl did for her. Her actions were certainly sisterly, or friendly towards her, but she never knew. She heard a light giggle. She turned around to see Amethyst and Pearl chuckling away, and Pearl seemed to be feeling better. Amethyst held a smile she had never seen her hold before, and Pearl kept her hand on her shoulder. Rose continuex

"Amethyst, for some reason, is one of the only people capable of making her laugh at times like these. I remember the time her foot sprained just before her ballet performance. None of us could even so much as to bring a grin. But, after Amethyst had a sleepover at hers, she was in high spirits. I wonder how she does that every time."

Peridot seemed to contemplate over something, and then Amethyst broke her thoughts by giving her arm a light punch (which was not that light at all). Amethyst went with towards the bins to discard her leftovers, and both were idlely chatting away. Amethyst seemed unaffected by the news. She walked away to class after giving her a huge hug and an invitation to hang out at Garnet's that weekend, to which see agreed. Her heart didn't feel as fuzzy as before, but she still wished more of that embrace.

* * *

  
"Peridot Greene,"

"Yes, my diamond?"

"Do you know why I called you here personally?"

"No, m-m-my diamond..."

"I was very proud of your hacking last time. If only those lasers weren't so outdated... Anyways, Peridot, I want you to set a trap for the Crystal Gems next week."

"The Crystal Gems?"

"Yes, the people who attacked us. Those nosy little imbeciles don't know when to leave. But, I want you to set a trap for the Crystal Gems." Her hands picked an ant who just so happened to crawl by, and kept it on the table. She put a grape near it"What we need Peridot is a carefully designed ,double meaninged, bait. Once word goes in school and those princesses figure it out, we'll trap them, reveal their identities, and render them helpless. Once their identites are revealed, they will positively be" her hands squished the innocent creature -who was just about to reach the fruit- mercilessly"destroyed"  
  
Peridot was horrified. But, she had to stay loyal. She couldn't betray her diamond. 

"Yes, my diamond, I'll get on it immediately."

"It better be done by next Tuesday, and now that we have some more ties with various people, I think the spreading won't be an issue. If it fails, Peridot, don't expect any mercy" her voice turned stern, and Peridot had bullets of sweat all around her face and palms.

"I won't let you down, my diamond...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I hope you enjoyed this....  
> \--Ok, so Aura 900 is just some OC I came up with, so if someone else has similar OC names or something, just know that this was my own creativity and her existence was just a spur of the moment kind of thing. So no hate please ^^.
> 
> Please give feedback and some kudos if you enjoyed it so far. The trainwreck of major events is due shortly...  
> :)


	7. Maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot starts playing with feelings

It kinda became a routine now, stepping into the room and hiking the small hill of cardboard to reach her awaiting back. They have talked relatively more since then, about CPH or Aura-900 or Peridot’s whining about her life. She noticed that she was doing all the talking, while the other just quietly gave an occasional input. Peridot started feeling rather inconsiderate, but the other assured her using her mysteriously _magical_ voice that she liked her talking. Their hands briefly touched when she said that, and Peridot could feel the sparks shooting right up. It was new, but certainly not in a bad way. They didn’t touch since then.

One thing Peridot did notice was that she felt particularly interested when she spoke about technology. She had been quite fond of it since childhood, and winning huge awards furthered her interests, but due to some…. _inconveniences_ , those days of glory were long gone. Not that she complained, though, for it did give her more time to work on her private projects. And when she spoke about those in her overly-excited voice to her, she could almost hear her gasps of wonder and curiosity. The girl was least shy when she questioned about her inventions. Peridot felt light-hearted knowing someone was intrigued by what she loved to do.

But even then things between her and the mystery girl remained sort of tense. When the conversation died, an awkwardness always lingered there. She never started any topic to talk about, and Peridot was left twiddling her thumbs until her alarm on her wrist watch would ring to signal her about the class getting over. She wondered what to do next to enable some action of friendship other than idle chat.

When she was deep in thought the other day, Amethyst teased about her daydreams with context to a gift. With the fact that the sudden proximity or the tank-top laden girl suddenly made her face burst a bright red, she got an idea, why not present her with a gift?

Her first attempt was with a self drawn painting. Peridot was secretly very talented in art, having being part of the CPH fandom since long. She drew a single flower, the colour matching her hair. It was not something very fancy, but the skill could be seen. When she received it, she either kept it beside her the whole time or played with it while she heard Peridot break into yet another rant about the ‘faulty’ teachers had had to deal with. When she left, Peridot saw that she left the paper there, slightly crumpled and minutely torn from the corners. Her heart sank.

She still took another chance, though, this time with a box of chocolates. It was cheap, and small, but had all three types for her to enjoy. She led a quiet yet productive discussion about TV show streaming websites. She confessed that she didn’t have much internet privileges. Peridot felt rather sad for her, but she knew better than to offer a broken girl more pity. Later she again left the box there, untouched.

As one final attempt, Peridot racked her brains hard. She really wanted to give something worthwhile to her, but she just kept rejecting it. Her mind replayed many of the conversations they had had. Maybe she could find a hint? After a solid hour of pondering underneath the warm shower of her bathroom, she finally got the perfect thing in mind.

She felt like an absolute dork giving her a white sheet and blue ribbon wrapped cuboidal stuff, but at least she knew she would like it. She tapped her feet against one of the hard surfaces she was sitting on in some imaginary beat when she heard the paper’s crinkling noise. She was satisfied that she at least addressed it. Inside it was a self designed tape recorder with a screen for video access, too. She thought she can record whatever she liked for comfort. It always helped her. It had an exceptional memory, and the video quality that could be seen was remarkable. After she told her the mechanics and the fact that it was hand-crafted by her and its many marvels, she was expecting praise, gratefulness, or just a simple ‘thanks’……….

But what she didn’t expect was it to be flung across the room haphazardly.

With widened eyes she could feel the tears forming in her eyes after looking at the device reduced to a couple of nuts and bolts and broken glass. It was no ordinary machine, as it was built with almost the latest tech she could get her hands on. It was a project though done as a way to pass time, was dear to her. She completely lost it then

“ _What’s your deal?_ Don’t you have any respect for the hard-work I did?” she screamed

“I never asked for it” her calm remained

“It’s called ‘being nice’. Have you ever heard of it?”

“Nope, don’t know such bullshit. Happy?”

“ **UGHHHH**!”she groaned, hair fisting in her hands. “Why are you being so fricking hostile? What did I even do to you than be nice?”

She flashed out, “I know your type, little girl. You think you can woo me with your fancy gifts and ‘oh so nice and humble’ exterior and take advantage of me” she could sense her voice breaking slowly. “Well, not again” She wanted to comfort her. A few moments a silence entered.

Peridot pondered over what to say that will totally not turn this conversation down in the dumps. “Look,” she spoke lowly, cautiously” I don’t know what experiences you had in the past, but trust me when I say this, I won’t hurt you” she tried to sound as genuine as possible.

“How do I know?” she asked, hugging herself, doubting.

“Heck, if I had something, anything to prove that I am a good person, I would do that straight away. That kinda was the purpose of the gifts” she scratched her neck.

“ _Oh really_? How do I know that there wasn’t any secret camera or something? Or a virus? A girl roaming in one of the most secluded, dangerous areas of the school doesn’t really make a statement, does it?”

“I don’t know…” Peridot started.“Okay, tell me then, how can I trust you that you are not an axe murderer? Or a rapist? Or just any other criminal?” Peridot asked back, hoping to make a statement.

The other girl started loudly, “Because- um-…” She was speechless. She sighed. Peridot didn’t know what to expect from her then, so she again started using her feet to produce beats. The silence stayed there for a few more moments, settling there like it did many times before. Suddenly, she felt a light, feathery touch on her hand. The same bolt of electricity shot through her veins, and she looked down towards her hands. She had kept her on hers lightly, like a butterfly. A butterfly that needed to be handled lightly so that it doesn’t disintegrates. It was fragile like its wings, but it was there for her to savour. She could feel it, and it almost made her skin alive. She scarcely laced their fingers. She didn’t budge.

She spoke, _“I don’t trust you, Greene”_

Peridot’s eyes downcast. She almost stood up, before a timid voice was heard

 _“But I don’t not trust you either”_ she added.

Peridot looked at her, trying to catch a glimpse of what expression she might be holding then. She only saw her hair, shielding her face, but she felt blissful just hearing that. The girl warned,” Talking to me won’t be easy, mind you”

“I know. It’s not like I have made things easy for you by blabbing about myself” The other chuckled, and Peridot kept this small victory in her mind.

“I told you like your blabbing” she responded.

“But I know I would like yours too” Peridot could feel a rush of confidence surging through her veins

“I wish I had the confidence to” she spoke wistfully

“We can start slow. Wherever you may like”

“I honestly don’t know where”

“Okay…what’s your name?” she asked

“That’s one question I can never give the answer to”

“So, um….” Peridot trailed off. She was bad at this. Just when she thought she was making progress….

“Hey, can I know about the tape recorder thingy you gave me?” she asked, obviously interested.

“Why not?” she replied, before trailing into a long winded speech about the technology she was passionate about.

_It was a delightful day._

* * *

“Oh hey Peridot!” she heard an overly irritating voice greet. She really wished to be somehow magically turn small enough to hide in her locker then and there. But after a futile mini-attempt in escaping, she turned around to see that last person she wanted to deal with to break her euphoria.

“Larimar! What a _pleasant_ surprise” she responded, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I know, who wouldn’t be happy to bask in the presence of someone as hot as me?” she kept a hand beside her on the locker surface, leaning slightly towards her. If Peridot didn’t know that she were already dating her best friend, she would probably give herself the pleasure of thinking that she might be flirting with her. It was evident by her provocative actions and lazy smile. Or maybe she was a flirt towards everyone.

“Anyways, Peri,” she continued “I gotta ask you something”

Peridot answered all her possible questions earlier “No Larimar, I haven’t done my homework, no I don’t know where Jasper is, no I won’t go girlfriend hunting with you and yes I still watch CPH. Happy?”

“What a sweetie! How considerate of you, Peridot!” her scowl deepened at the sound of her sickengly sweet voice.”But I just wanna know, it’s the purple one, isn’t it?”

Peridot knew what she was onto- she wasn’t dumb- but played it clueless. “What are you talking about?”

“You know, long purple hair, small bod, Cortez” she described her right on the money. She still played it off cool.

“Yeah, what about her?”

“You obviously have a little crush on her, don’t you Peridot?” she teased, pinching her cheeks like one would a young child. That very spot radiated warmth, but her anger covered it

“What were you doing stalking me” she counter attacked

“That’s not the point, little P. The point is that you got a widdle bag of feelings for her, don’t you?”

“ _I do not_!” she shrieked, loud enough to be the object of some of the passerby’s gazes, but they had more important people to gossip about.

“Awww… someone’s in denial!” she cooed back.

“Even if I did” she started, “why on Earth would you care?” she eyed her suspiciously

“Because people are not what they seem to be” she said casually, popping a chewing gum in her mouth.

But it was not casual for Peridot. She wanted an explanation. “Whatever do you mean by that?” she inquired.

“Come on, you’re a nerd who knows English. This is an easy one”

“Not for me” she started, but realized she would be revealing too much. She changed gears.

“I mean, how do you know who they are like? Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Amethyst are wonderful people” she defended them.

“Of _course_ they are” she spoke rolling her eyes. Something was definitely off.

“Look, if you want me to think they aren’t, then prove it to me”

“That would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?” the sass was oozing out of her voice and smirk.

“Okay, then, goodbye” she started towards the school gates. She heard Lapis say one last time

“Remember what I said. You’ll need it.”

She really wanted to take an advice from a student as shallow as her with a grain of salt-she really did- but her conscience poked repeatedly to keep those words in handy.

* * *

Later that evening Amethyst called her, asking for some shit about maths. Being a lover of that subject she eagerly explained the ropes of various topics that were unclear to her, mentally groaning at her insufferance at times. It all trailed to another direction afterwards. Soon they were involved in a rather deep discussion about video games and TubeTube videos. It slowly trickled to school life an hour or so later.

“So, Peri, got your eyes set on someone yet?” Lapis’ accusation of her supposed crush on Amethyst rang in her head.

“N-N-Nope. You?”

“Maayyybeee…” she answered playfully. It was endearing to the latter.

“Whatever do you mean by that?”

“You tell me, Peri-mama” she could hear the smirk on her face. She kept shut for a few seconds.

“Nah, I’ll save it for later”

“Well played, P” Amethyst hooted, earning a laugh from her.

“No but seriously, you must have a line of people begging for your attention” Amethyst continued.

“I wish” she scoffed back

“Anyways, you’ll get the right person in time”

Today her words seemed to be more, enticing, to her. Like you just want to record it and keep it on repeat. She found herself stammering and fumbling with the next few lines, before a doorbell was heard ringing on Amethyst’s side

“Holy smokes” she spoke

“What happened” she asked with concern.

“Nothing, just that Pearl came right now”

“Oh, let’s talk with her” she spoke excitedly. Chatting with Pearl gave her a lot of knowledge, and it was enjoyable to talk with people having similar academic interests.

“Um, Peri, I think I might have to go” she spoke hurriedly

“But why can’t we talk to her? Is she alright?”

“Yeah, just hang up, P. I’ll see you tomorrow cutie” and with that she cut the call before Peridot could ask something else. She wondered why she seemed to be in a hurry to stop when Pearl entered, but thought that it must be something private. But still, she wanted to talk more with her. Lapis’ words rang again that night, and so did Amethyst’s laughter. And voice in general. And looks. And tank top. And the mystery girls’ skirt, intriguing voice, mane of blue hair, depth of black eyes, sweetness of chuckles, tiny yet fiery feelings when they touched, _oh my god_ …wait, where did that come from? Her -after a few more minutes of deep thought about the other girl-mind steered back to the class clown, and her purple hair, dark blue eyes that she would happily get lost in ...

You know what? Maybe Lapis was right. Maybe she had a _teeny-tiny,_ insignificant……infatuation with Amethyst Cortez.

Maybe, just maybe.

Peridot collapsed on the bed and buried her face in her pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So my exams and finally over and done with, so I have a lot of time in my hands the coming weeks, provided something disastrous doesn't pop up. I will strive to make the story of a more better quality, seeing my over-excited mind just wanted to get the foundation of the story done and over with, mixed with the constant nagging of studying.So yeah, Fingers crossed!  
> \--Oh yeah, the diamond fiasco will come side by side now, coz today I just wanted to explore Peridot's high school student style. I am not abandoning it, no sire!  
> PS- I really didn't have the full energy to edit this, so if there are any typos and grammatical errors, please tell me, I'll edit them later. Seemed pretty right to me, but who would trust a half-brain-dead student, huh?
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos! I would really, really appreciate it :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!  
> Please comment and give kudos!


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